1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tape cassette players and, more particularly, is directed to an automatic mechanism for loading and ejecting a tape cassette, such as a compact cassette, a microcassette, or a video cassette in a tape cassette player, such as a car stereo, video tape recorder (VTR) or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In known electronic equipment, various operation changing mechanisms used as drive operative members are known which are intermittently driven by changing gears with toothless portions and having at least one cam thereon. In such known operation changing mechanisms, when operation of the mechanism starts, the changing gear is initially rotated by a predetermined angle, whereby to mesh with a driving roller which subsequently controls rotation of the changing gear. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,225,894, having a common assignee herewith, locking means for such a changing gear formed with a toothless portion, is released by utilizing a plunger which is displaced by an energized solenoid, so that a spring-biased lever then initially rotates the changing gear. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,142, a changing gear formed with a toothless portion is initially rotated by the magnetic force resulting from an energized coil. In either case, an electromagnetic device is required to initially drive the changing gear. However, the first-mentioned known operation changing mechanism may be relatively complex in construction and inefficient in operation by the necessity of providing a locking mechanism which is released by a plunger. In the second-mentioned known mechanism utilizing a magnetic force for rotating the changing gear, it is necessary to fix a magnet on the changing gear formed with a toothless portion, so that the mechanism becomes relatively expensive and complex.